Solar Thermography for Photovoltaic Panel

1
Testo Application
Example
Solar Thermography
Thermographic trouble shooting of solar
photovoltaic panel (SPV) balance of plant (BOP)
Objective
Introduction
To find out defects in solar modules, cells,
junction boxes,
A photovoltaic power station or a solar
power plant,
array box, cables, diode junction box, invertor
section, LT
is a large-scale array of photovoltaic
system designed to
panels, LT cables, power transformers
transmission
utilize the solar energy and supply electricity
to grids. This
lines.
set up is an excellent alternative for the
conventional sources
of energy and is eco-friendly as well.
Photovoltaic systems
To establish correlation between SPV panel
thermal profile
are an important contribution to the energy
transition, and
and module efficiency life.
to a sustainable handling of resources. In recent
years, they
have been one of the greatest sources of power
and electricity.
But with great results there are some
serious threats that
tend to jeopardize the power output of the
system. This
makes the maintenance of the plants a significant
aspect to
tackle such threats concerning the functioning of
a solar set up.
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Testo Application Example Solar Thermography
Potential threats to Photovoltaic Plants
Even a small technical defect in the plant is
sufficient to
have a considerably negative effect on the solar
yield and
therefore the economic viability of a
photovoltaic plant.
Some of the biggest problems that could be
witnessed are

Hotspot

Open/Short circuit in the modules

Overheating of panels or joints

Micro-cracking cell ruptures

Corrosion loose connections

Defects in balance of plant
Identifying the defected solar cells by
thermography
Case Study 1 Mahagenco Solar Power Plant,
Chandrapur, Maharashtra
Thermography of Solar Photovoltaic Panels
The solar power plant set up is mostly exposed to
the open
environment due to which it is prone to all kinds
of physical
aspects such as dust, wind, moisture etc. This
leads to the
deposition of dirt dust on the surface of solar
panels. The
panels which are not cleaned for dust dirt are
likely to get
more heated than those which are regularly
cleaned. This
excess heating leads to faster deterioration of
the panel
hence thermal inspection of all the modules is a
must.
Bird drop is another issue which leads to
localized heating
of the portion of the module due to which the
entire module
fails. If this error is not identified at an
early stage then it
Identifying the panel cleaning issues and
temperature variation in the cells.
might lead to major losses in generation, revenue
and
availability of the plant.
Thermal Imager testo 872 is best suited for SPV
panels
and was used to take the thermal image of modules
to
monitor the panel heating with respect to dust,
dirt or bird
drops on the panels.
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Testo Application Example Solar Thermography
Case Study 2 Sakri Solar Power Plant (125 MW),
Dhule, Maharashtra
Trouble shooting in Balance of Plant (BOP)
In addition to the thermal inspection of modules,
the cables
joints, junction boxes, blocking diodes if not
inspected
properly may lead to major fire accidents
and other
catastrophic failures in the power plant.
Inverter section is also a major asset to be
monitored and
thermal imaging is a very vital tool for checking
healthiness of
invertor section as due to continuous usage it
might get
Determination of cable heating using thermography
overheated. If it gets excessively heated, it
will lead to
inefficient operations and may cause component
failure
which is fatal and can cause availability issues.
Thermal inspection of assets such as switch yard
and
transmission lines up to POC (Point of
Coupling) at
transmission utility is very necessary. If there
exists any issue
which is not attended on time may lead to grid
unavailability
and can cause losses to government or Independent
power
Producers (IPP) in terms of revenue and time.
Testo 885 was used for monitoring and thermal
analysis of
the entire Balance of Plant of the solar power
facility which
helped in identification of several aspects
defects such as
Determination of cooling fan motor defect
in transformer radiator
cooling fan motor issue of the transformer
radiator.
Features that make Testo Thermal Imagers the
best solution for trouble shooting in solar power
plants
Subject to change, including technical
modifications, without notice.
IR resolution of the detector is 320 X 240 pixel
or higher
which is recommended for large PV systems.
Solar mode - storage of solar radiation intensity
together
with the thermal image for easier interpretation
and
testo 885
testo 872 with bluetooth connectivity
evaluation.
Exchangeable lenses for time saving inspections
of large
module surfaces from a safe distance.
Analysis software testo IRSoft for fast and
convenient
creation of professional evaluations reports.
Interfacing of thermal imager with temperature,
humidity
probe clamp-meter for solar power analysis.
Testo India Pvt. Ltd.
Plot No. 23, Sind Society, Baner Road, Aundh,
Pune - 411007. Tel [phone] Fax 91
20 2585 0080. Email info_at_testo.in
www.testo.com